Cheer queers for LGBT law students still
face unique challenges but Canadian law schools and firms are generally welcoming and accepting.
F career services. 12 SPRING 2 0 1 1 C ANADIAN Lawy er 4STUDENTS
or Chase Barlet, attending McGill University's Faculty of Law was not just the fi rst step in becoming a lawyer. During Barlet's undergraduate degree at a Mormon university, he could have been expelled for having a boyfriend. Attending McGill's law school marked the fi rst time he could be entirely open about his sexuality. "I went from having to be almost completely in the closet to being able to be completely out in a matter of months, which was incredibly liberating," says the second-year law stu- dent. "At McGill, people have been nothing but welcoming and accepting." Queer law students, faculty, and young lawyers describe Canadian law schools, for the most part, as welcoming and
supportive spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. Many of those interviewed share Jennifer Lau's opinion that "there are still challenges unique to LGBT students," including questions of whether and when to come out — to the law school, to other students, and to potential employers. Lau, a 2010 call, co-founded a club for LGBT law students while attending the Uni- versity of British Columbia's law school, where she is now associate director of
ALEXI VELLA
